The UK job market: is there a gender bias?

If you’re on the hunt for your first job out of education or you’re looking to switch up your life with a big career change, then you’ll know just how difficult finding a job can be

Alongside those with existing jobs, there are around 1.25 million unemployed people in the UK also going for the jobs you’re applying for. Other factors that make it hard to land roles include a lack of experience or a lack of qualifications but you reason you may not expect is gender bias.  

Gender bias has historically impacted people for centuries but in the modern age we live in, surely gender bias no longer exists. Fortunately, banner specialists instantprint have conducted the research so you don’t have to and the results are damning. Gender bias is still as prevalent as ever and it’s getting in the way of successful careers for many within the UK population. 

To learn more about how the UK job market is using gender bias in its hiring practices, be sure to read on. We’ll discuss the facts and figures which prove how this Is impacting applicants all over the country. 

What do we mean by gender bias?  

Gender bias has existed in workplaces for quite a while now and is simply the overt preference of one gender compared to another. This could occur when a manager is choosing people to complete certain tasks when deciding which staff members get a promotion or in this case, when hiring to fill one of your vacancies.  

Most often, this preference exists for men over other genders with white heterosexual males being prioritised the most. However, as the data collected will reveal, this may not be the whole truth anymore. 

Are UK job postings gender-neutral? 

The first stage of any job application is searching for job postings to find roles that you want to do. This is exactly where the bias starts and it’s really quite obvious.  

instanprint’s findings in this area were stark. Of 91 job adverts analysed, just four of them were rated as gender-neutral. One of the reasons why gender bias is apparent is because of the language used. Around 77% of the job ads used feminine-coded language and 17 job posts had masculine-coded language which could correlate with which gender the companies would ideally hire.  

This kind of language is enough to put people off applying for jobs which is why it should not be allowed to stand any longer.  

What about the workplaces?  

Even if you defy the odds and land the role that may have been curated with another gender in mind, is the office you end up in just as gender bias as the company’s job adverts? According to the data collected by instantprint, one in six women believe their workplace is male-orientated and 1 in 7 men believe their business is more female-orientated.  

This can impact many different aspects of the job such as progression. Certain genders may be overlooked for promotions and even bonuses. On average, a man’s bonus was over £1100 more than a woman’s in the UK which proves there is a gender bias even with pay.  

The workplace is a somewhere where all members of staff should be celebrated and cherished. Now is the time to eradicate past management failures and create a UK job market that is gender-neutral and fair for all.